Jane's Orange Roll 2010

In celebration of Jane Jacobs courage and belief that a city's space should belong to its citizens, hundreds of walks and rolls were organized for May 1st and May 2nd, 2010  (http://janeswalkusa.wordpress.com/)

This year's Jane's Orange Roll was led by UofOAthletic Director Patrick Morrissy on May 1st. We met at the Daily Soup parking lot across from Rita's Deli and started our roll by visiting the Valley's historic Hatting District and the [Murmur] sites along the way. Pat explained the history behind the F. Berg hatting factory and the NoName Hatting Buildings.

Talking and Biking

Before they formed the hat behemoth Stetson & Co.,the two Stetson brothers (Napoleon and John) couldn't decide on a name for their hatting company so they settled on NoName Hatting Co. before John reformed the company under the family name in Pennsylvania. Henry Stetson, the son of Napoleon Stetson and nephew of hatmaker John Stetston, later became mayor of Orange and erected a firehouse building in the 1900s that we admired. We rode through these areas and passed by the factories and current businesses that continue Orange's industrial legacy. Stopping at the Stetson Lounge and [Murmur] site, we observed the entranceway whose stone facade are allegedly from the Holland Tunnel excavation. The stones form the image of a bear and moose w/ relief ears and antlers. Opposite this curiousity is a beautiful mural.

 And what tour of Jersey would be complete without a visit to the local diner? Gamburger's Diner, recently opened and boasting a tempting Saturday all you can eat breakfast special. We resisted the temptation, but did pose in front of the diner.

Gamburgers Diner!

We next stopped at the future home of LunaStage to admire the beautiful mural by Dan Fenelon on Valley Road.  Valley Road is becoming its own bustling main street of the Orange and West Orange Valley area with such wonderful businesses as RockIt Pizza, HatCity Kitchen, Orange Valley Hardware store, local delis, restaurants and the soon to open LunaStage Theatre Company.

Riding through the Heart of Orange, we were greeted by Phill Serrani owner of Serrani's Sanitary Bakery. He joined us for a picture and allowed us to taste the days' delicious Italian bread.

Group with Phil Serrani (red apron) in front of Sanitary Bakery South Essex Ave

The tour of the vally was followed by lunch at MazziDogs where the tired bikers feasted on hotdogs. I had my favorite the Holy Guacamole. We were joined MazziDogs Owner Vinni Mazzarisi, as we traveld the short distance to Tony Galento Plaza. "Two Ton" Tony Galento is Orange's hometown legend, an entertaining boxer known for his extravagant training techniques. He would guzzle beer and eat spaghetti, 6 chickens and hot dogs to prepare for a match. We then rode to St. John's cemetary on a quest for Tony Galento's last resting place. Althought, we were unable to locate Galento's grave marker it is a beautiful place to rest and reflect. Next we went to the First Presbyterian Church on 420 Main Street, the host of this year's Placemaking Conference, and toured the beautiful gravestones that date back as far as the 1700s. The bike ride ended at Orange's MayDay festival. The inspired and slightly tanned Jane's Orange Roll participants were greeted by the wonderful sounds of the Orange High School marching band. We enjoyed italian ice and the vendors as we watched the band perform. It was a perfect end to an enlightening and joyful day.

To see the route of the Jane's Orange Roll 2010 and hear the stories they listened to along the way please visit:

 http://murmurorange.com/

And be sure to visit the Jane's Walk Flickr Group to see photos of
Jane's Walks and Rolls from around the world!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/janeswalk2010/